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Vijay Iyer Trio: Accelerando
ByA gifted academic with numerous degrees to his credit (including a Ph.D in Technology and the Arts from University of California, Berkeley) Iyer is a post-modern Renaissance man whose cross-cultural collaborations have included a variety of artists, from AACM legends Roscoe Mitchell and Wadada Leo Smith to underground hip-hop artists Das Racist and Mike Ladd. Drawing inspiration from these disparate sources, Iyer's harmonically rich writing and crafty arrangements boast a sophisticated rhythmic sensibility; dynamic tempo shifts, modulating time signatures and interlocking counterpoint imbue his accessible themes with an adventurous and unpredictable foundation.
Serving as his primary rhythm section since 2005, Crump and Gilmore interpret the leader's challenging structures with gracefully understated virtuosity. Crump's pulsating bass lines and Gilmore's cascading salvos interlock with the leader's hypnotic arpeggios and quicksilver runs, their keen interplay generating a beguiling assortment of cantilevered cross-rhythms. The asymmetric pulsations of Heatwave's disco hit "The Star of a Story" and mesmerizing spirals of Iyer's "Actions Speak" are indicative of the trio's riveting approach towards a wide array of material, including intriguing renditions of tunes by Herbie Nichols and Henry Threadgill.
Two distinctive pieces originally scored for dance bring Iyer's concept full circle. The edgy title track, with its capriciously vacillating tempos, was conceived as part of the UnEasy suite for choreographer Karole Armitage. The other is a sublime gospel reading of Duke Ellington's "The Village of the Virgins," which was culled from The River, an opulent ballet score written for Alvin Ailey. Finding thematic concordance in such seemingly dissimilar source material, Accelerando is a masterful collection that balances high-minded conceptualism with heartfelt conviction.
Track Listing
Bode; Optimism; The Star of a Story; Human Nature (Trio Extension); Wildflower; Mmmhmm; Little Pocket Size Demons; Lude; Accelerando; Actions Speak; The Village of the Virgins.
Personnel
Vijay Iyer
pianoVijay Iyer: piano; Stephan Crump: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums.
Album information
Title: Accelerando | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: ACT Music
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March 2012